Good and Bad
by Sweet Lu
Summary: The team is sent to protect a Naval Commander after a kidnap threat. Deeks is assigned as a bodyguard to the man's young son.


**Good and Bad**

When Deeks first met the boy, he was struck by how cautious he was when introduced to the team. He seemed very formal for an eight-year-old, shaking hands with each one of them. But, he was being raised by a high-ranking naval commander, so Deeks guessed his father probably demanded it of him. He seemed nervous and tentative, constantly glancing towards his father even when Deeks asked him if he would rather to be called by his first name or if he had a nickname. The boy seemed unsure how to answer.

"William, I guess," he said, looking down at the floor, " or Will. It doesn't matter."

"Well, if it doesn't matter, how about I call you Rango, the lizard boy?" Deeks said, cocking his head and giving him his best half-smile.

William looked startled, but then Deeks saw him smirk a little.

"Or," Deeks proposed, "What about Mater? You like that movie 'Cars', yeah?"

The boy's smirk grew larger and Deeks thought he almost saw teeth.

"I like Rango better," he said, "But don't call me that in front of my dad, OK?"

And, just like that, the small smile was gone.

As Will and Deeks bumped fists on their deal, the rest of the team came over, led by the boy's father, Commander George Fielding. NCIS had been asked to provide protection for him and his family after a kidnapping threat had been uncovered. His expertise was in the area of advanced weaponry, and his knowledge was classified.

"William, remember what I told you, Detective Deeks is here as your bodyguard, not your friend," Fielding said icily to the boy, "and, I expect you to remember that as well, detective."

Something in his tone of voice, grated on Deeks, who couldn't help but reply, "I don't see why I can't be both, Commander," staring steadily into his eyes as tension sparked between them.

"William, can you show me around?" Deeks turned to ask the boy, who was staring at him with a look of complete awe. Deeks was pretty sure the kid had never seen anyone disagree with his father, and that brought a familiar feeling back to the detective.

"If I'm going to be your personal police escort, I'll need to get the lay of the land," Deeks said cheerfully to the boy, then he nodded to the commander, put his hand on the boy's shoulder and followed him through the house. As they walked off, he could hear the man vehemently complaining about his insubordinate attitude, which brought a small smile to Deeks' face. You have no idea, he thought.

It surprised him that the boy's father had told him Deeks was his bodyguard. He thought it must be a scary thing for a small boy to hear that his life might be in danger, even if it was the truth. He knew his father only wanted to protect him, but there was something about the way the commander had spoken to William, that gave him a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach.

As he showed Deeks the house and grounds, William began to loosen up, and actually started to act like the little boy he was. "What should I call you Detective Deeks?" William asked as they walked by the pool.

"Deeks or Marty," he told the boy, "or you could call me Spider Man, I've always wanted to be Spider Man." finally getting a smile out of him.

William seemed to enjoy being a tour guide, showing Deeks some of his favorite hiding spots, and actually laughing when Deeks got stuck trying to wedge himself inside the hollowed out base of an ancient Valley oak at the back of the property.

"This is where I come when I want to be alone," William told him as they relaxed on the grass, "You're the only person I've ever taken here, so you have to promise not to tell anybody." He had such an earnest look on his face that Deeks solemnly, crossed his heart, and raised his hand to the sky, and promised.

"I only showed you 'cause you're my bodyguard, and bodyguards are supposed to know these things," William said very seriously.

"It sounds like you've researched this bodyguard thing pretty thoroughly, Will," Deeks said, rolling onto his back on the warm grass.

"Let me tell you something else a bodyguard needs to know," Deeks said quietly, "A good bodyguard needs to know when the person they are guarding is afraid of anything or anyone."

He sat up and looked into the large brown eyes of the small boy and said, "If I don't know who scares you, I can't protect you. I can tell you have good instincts, William, so I want you to know you can tell me anything about anybody living here or who visits here that makes you uncomfortable or who scares you. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded.

"We bodyguards also like to have secret signals and code words," Deeks said lowering his voice. The boy's eyes got bigger as Deeks showed him hand signals they could use in case they needed them, and how the nicknames they now had for each other were secret code names that only they would know.

"And, this old tree will be our secret hiding place," Deeks said, "We can call it the 'bat cave', yeah?" He could tell the boy was enjoying all the cloak and dagger stuff, and Deeks knew he now had safeguards in place in case he needed them.

"One more thing a bodyguard needs to know about the person he's guarding, and this is very important," Deeks whispered, leaning closer and closer to the boy, "he needs to know if that person is...ticklish!"

William screamed with laughter as Deeks tackled him to the ground, tickling him unmercifully, and he happily tickled Deeks in return. They both collapsed on the ground smiling and trying to catch their breath.

"My mom used to tickle me like that when I was younger," William said softly.

"Where is your mom, William," Deeks asked as he propped himself up on his elbow to look at the boy, wondering why he hadn't met her that morning.

"She died last year," he said. Deeks wanted to kick himself, and wondered why he wasn't given that intel when he was briefed on this assignment.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Deeks said quietly, "I lost my mom, too."

"Do you still miss her?" William asked, putting his hand on Deeks' arm.

"Everyday, William," Deeks replied, "everyday."

"Me too," the boy said so sadly that Deeks wanted to hug the kid. But William suddenly jumped to his feet, tapped Deeks' shoulder and yelled, "Race you to the pool!" And off he ran. Deeks sat for a minute, wondering how such a young boy could be so resilient but then he flashed on his own childhood, and ran to catch up, yelling, "Hey, Rango, wait up."

...

Deeks walked up to Sam and Kensi as they were finishing dinner on the patio outside the guesthouse. They would be sleeping there until the threat to the commander was over. Callen would be there when they needed him and to spell them at night. Deeks would be sleeping next door to William's room in the main house.

"Hey guys," Deeks said, "Why wasn't I told that William's mom died last year?" He tried to keep the irritation out of his voice, but he wasn't successful. "If you knew about it and didn't tell me, then I'm really pissed. If you didn't know about it, then we've got a problem with our intel."

Sam and Kensi exchanged surprised looks.

"Commander Fielding said she wouldn't be available, but he never told us she was dead," Sam said, quickly calling Eric at the OSP Center. "But, that still doesn't explain why Eric and Nell didn't give us that bit of important information."

"He used those words, 'wouldn't be available'," Kensi asked. "That's a weird way to refer to your dead wife."

"Well, he's kind of full of himself, if you ask me." Deeks said, grabbing a plate of food and slumping into a chair.

"Yeah, well he isn't too fond of you either, Deeks," Sam responded. "You were a little too confrontational this afternoon, don't you think?"

"I didn't like how he talked to the boy, or to me," Deeks replied in a low voice colored with emotion.

Kensi pulled Deeks up from his chair and pushed him up the path leading to a small gazebo. She had been somewhat baffled by his response to the commander that morning and to Sam just now. She knew something was bothering him, and she wanted to find out what it was before he had to rejoin William and his father, who were dining with Callen in the main house. Her usually upbeat partner was quiet and moody, which was not like him.

"What's up, partner?" Kensi asked. "You're not yourself and I need to know what's going on in that small brain of yours."

Deeks sat staring off into space, and when he finally answered her it was not what she was expecting to hear.

"You were never afraid of your father, were you Kensi," he said solemnly.

"No, of course not," she replied, "why, Deeks?"

"Because I was afraid of mine, and that's how I know William is afraid of his." Deeks finished with a deep sigh.

They leaned back on the bench together, and Kensi looked at Deeks, trying to decide what she should say. But she couldn't think of a response. He turned towards her and said, "It's so hard to talk about, and I keep it all buried pretty deep most of the time, but this kid..." His voice broke as he tried to continue. "Being with this kid has brought all the memories back."

"I want to protect him, Kensi," he said forcefully, "I want him to know that he can survive it, not be drowned by it."

"Do you think his father is abusing him?" she asked.

"I don't know," Deeks said decisively, "But something is causing his fear, and I want to find out what that is."

"Deeks, you have to tell the others," Kensi told him, making him look at her. "This could affect the operation."

"Not yet, Kensi," he told her, rising and turning towards the house. "I need a little more time with William, then I'll brief everyone. Trust me, Kens, please." He looked both anxious and determined, and she nodded her assent.

...

"Hey, buddy, what's going on?" Deeks asked, as he entered William's room.

"Nothing!" the small boy said angrily, throwing himself on the bed. But Deeks could see the destruction all over the room. Books littered the floor and the neat rows of toy cars that had once covered the boy's desk, were scattered, some of the cars broken and others smashed.

"Remember what I said about bodyguards, Will?" Deeks asked as he sat down on the bed. "You can tell me anything, and it will just be between you and me, our secret, OK, buddy?"

"My dad yelled at me at dinner about acting stupid, right in front of Mr. Callen," William said, turning over and staring at the ceiling. "I just wanted to ask him a question about his gun, but dad said I was interrupting, and acting stupid. He always calls me stupid."

"What did you want know about his gun?" Deeks asked quietly.

"I just wanted to know what kind it was and how he took care of it," Will said sitting up and wiping away his tears.

"You're an awesome kid, Will," Deeks told him

"My dad doesn't think so", he said angrily.

"Dads can be wrong, buddy," Deeks said slowly, "I know, because my dad was wrong about me."

William looked quickly over at Deeks, a question in his eyes. Then Deeks began to tell him a little about his father. Not all of it, not the really violent stuff, but enough to let the boy know why he understood what he was going through.

"My dad drank a lot, all the time," Deeks told him, his voice low and husky, "and when he was drunk, I tried to make sure I wasn't around. If he found me, he would knock me around, and tell me what a pile of shit I was. He loved that saying, and he used it a lot."

"Has your dad ever hit you, Will?" Deeks asked softly, not looking at the boy.

"A couple of times," Will said taking a deep breath, "But, the last time he tried I ducked and ran outside and hid in the oak tree, I mean the "bat cave". He gets drunk like your dad did, mainly at night. He doesn't talk to me most of the time, and when he does, he only says mean things. He calls me stupid a lot, or dumb-ass." Then he looked away and whispered, "I think he hates me."

"I'm sorry, Will," Deeks said, his emotions coming painfully close to the surface.

"Marty, why did your dad hate you?" Will asked, catching Deeks off guard.

"I don't know, Will, he never told me," Deeks answered, "But he was a miserable person and I guess he wanted everyone else to be miserable, too."

"It was different when mom was here," Will said with a tremor in his voice, "He never got drunk or hit me when mom was with us."

"I know I'm not supposed to, but, I think I hate my dad," he said sadly

Deeks helped Will into bed and the boy fell asleep almost immediately. Deeks sat and watched him for a while, shivering slightly from his efforts to get his emotions back under control. He didn't like to think about his own father or his childhood, it was better for him if he didn't. He thought he had moved on and buried the anger and the feeling of worthlessness he always felt around his dad. Now the memories were raw again, because of this young boy. He stood and walked out of the room.

He was on his way outside when he was stopped by the sound of breaking glass in the main living room. He was instantly alert, reaching for his weapon. He made his way silently to the doorway and stepped quickly into the room with his gun drawn.

"Well, well, if it isn't Detective Deeks, the bodyguard," Commander Fielding said loudly, slurring his words slightly, "Are you going to shoot me, detective? Not a very friendly thing for a guest to do."

"I thought you might be an intruder," Deeks answered, holstering his weapon.

"Come and have a drink, detective," the commander said, motioning for Deeks to join him.

"No thanks, commander, I'm on duty," Deeks replied and turned to go.

"I insist, detective," Fielding said, sharpening his tone. "Besides, you owe me a report on my son. How's the little shit doing?"

"You're drunk, commander," Deeks said, his voice deepening as his anger rose.

"This is my damn house, Detective Deeks, and if I want to get drunk I will." Fielding said, raising his voice, "I'm in command here, and I want a report on my son, right now!"

Deeks knew exactly how drunk the man was, He was an expert on knowing that, it was how he survived his childhood. As the commander stumbled to the sideboard and poured himself another scotch, Deeks moved quietly up behind him and took the glass out of his hand and set it down. The man turned unsteadily to face Deeks, his face a mask of dark anger. But, before he could say anything, Deeks put both hands on the man's chest and shoved him down into a chair.

"Commander, you're going to listen to my report on your son, and you're not going to speak a word until I'm finished, do you understand?" Deeks voice was raw. "And remember, I'm armed." The commander nodded.

"You have an awesome son," Deeks began, his voice low but calmer, "He loves toy cars, secret hiding places, and he's ticklish. He also thinks you hate him, and he thinks he might hate you." He stopped to let his last comment sink in. The commander swallowed hard, his eyes never leaving Deeks face.

"Is that what you want?" Deeks asked him, "Do you want your son to hate you? Because you've pretty much accomplished that."

"I know you hit your son, you bastard," Deeks said, the venom rising in his throat, "And if I wasn't a cop and here to protect your son, I would beat the ever-lovin' crap out of you."

"He's a little boy," he said, his voice softening, "your only son, and you sit down here getting drunk every night, feeling sorry for yourself about something, and all he knows is that you think he's stupid and worthless."

Deeks walked slowly around the room, trying to calm down. He knew that everything he had just said probably hadn't made it through the guy's whiskey-addled brain and would most likely get him fired, but he didn't care.

"I know what your son is feeling commander, because my dad was a drunk, and I can tell you, you're going to lose him." Deeks voice was sad as he turned back toward the commander, "You're an intelligent man when it comes to sophisticated weaponry, but not when it comes to your son. You're the stupid one here, Commander Fielding, because you are about to lose something very precious, your son's love."

Deeks turned away and walked out of the room.

The commander didn't say a word. He rose slowly from the chair, walked to the sideboard and picked up his drink. The look on his face was murderous.

...

Deeks awoke in the morning to the sounds of William crying and he was instantly on his feet. He dressed quickly and as he stepped into the hall, he met the commander coming out of his son's room.

"Pack up, Detective Deeks, you're leaving", the man said coldly. Then he turned sharply and left Deeks standing alone.

He knocked softly on the boy's door, then entered. William was in bed, the covers over his head.

"Hey buddy, you OK?" Deeks asked sitting down in the chair beside the bed.

"My dad told me you weren't gonna be my bodyguard anymore, and then he slapped me," William whimpered, "Why, Marty, what did I do wrong?"

Deeks could barely breathe.

"I'm so sorry, Will, you didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault." Deeks answered. In his head he was raging at himself. He knew what he did and said last night would have consequences, but he hadn't wanted them to fall on the boy. He had gotten too caught up in his own memories and fears and had failed to protect the one who needed it most.

"Look at me, Will," Deeks said, "I want to talk to you."

William sat up, his face was streaked with tears and still red where his father had hit him. It took all of Deeks' self control to keep himself from finding the commander and making good on last night's threat. But, the boy needed him, so he pushed down his rage and calmly began to tell William what would happen next.

...

As he was packing, Deeks got the phone call he was expecting. It was Hetty, and he had never heard her so angry, at least not with him.

"I had a phone call this morning from Commander Fielding." she said, her voice full of outrage, "What were you thinking, Mr. Deeks?"

He slowly sat down, exhausted by the emotion of the past two days. He expected to be taken off the assignment, and he waited to hear what his future would be, as he endured the bawling-out he deserved. He wasn't sure he listened to everything she said, but he understood the main points she was making, including jeopardizing national security.

"Mr. Deeks, did you put your hands on Commander Fielding?" Hetty asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"Did you threaten to shoot him?" she asked, her voice rising in disbelief.

"No, I simply told him I was armed," he replied.

"Did you threaten to, and I quote, 'beat the crap out of him'?" Hetty said quietly.

"Hetty, he hits his own son, and I told him if I wasn't a cop and here to protect his son, I would beat the crap out of him," Deeks said, with his voice trailing off. "and, he deserves it."

"Well, Mr. Deeks, you haven't done young William any favors here, and you certainly haven't done yourself any either," she finished sadly. "You are done there, Mr. Deeks, and you may be done at NCIS as well. I want you back at OSP, immediately, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Ms. Lange," he said softly, and hung up.

He lay back on the bed, his head swirling, and his heart pounding. He really wanted to punch something, but he'd done enough damage already. His phone rang again, and he saw it was Callen. Here we go again, he thought.

"Meet us down by the guest house, now Deeks," Callen said briefly, and hung up, not waiting for a reply.

Before he went downstairs, he stopped by William's room for the last time. He gave him his cell number and told him if he ever needed him, to call. The boy hugged him, and Deeks almost lost it.

"Remember, Will, your an awesome kid." Deeks told him before closing the door behind him.

...

He walked towards the team with dread. He was pretty sure he should be thinking of them as his former partners, but those goodbyes would come later. Now he tried to brace himself for another chewing out.

"What the hell got into you, Deeks?" Callen said with disbelief on his face and his blue eyes blazing.

They all looked disappointed, but no more than he was with himself. He made no comment to any of them, he just sat down and poured himself a coffee, which he desperately needed.

"Hetty says you pushed the commander around last night and threatened to beat him up," Sam in a disgusted voice, "He's a highly decorated naval commander, Deeks, what gives you the right to treat him like that?"

Deeks pent up anger finally got the better of him, and he suddenly rose and violently threw his coffee cup against the side of the guesthouse. He stood trembling, staring into Sam's face as he spoke.

"That man beats his son, Sam," Deeks said, his voice crackling with anger. "That scared little boy you all met yesterday, is told every day by his father, that he's stupid and worthless. Your highly decorated naval commander is an obnoxious drunk that slaps his small son around whenever he feels like it. I'm not sorry for anything I said or did to that man, except telling him I knew he hits his son. That put William in jeopardy, and that I am truly sorry for, because it got him hit again." Deeks said, the energy draining from his voice and his body.

"You let your personal feelings interfere with your job, Deeks," Callen said more calmly. "This operation isn't just about that boy, it's about protecting sensitive information concerning dangerous weapons. If that gets into the wrong hands it could hurt hundreds, maybe thousands, of children, not just one."

"You're right," Deeks agreed, "But it's hard to watch one kid suffer right in front of your eyes. I couldn't let it go, because I know what it's like to have a father like that."

He stopped talking when he saw their questioning looks. "I've said enough."

He turned to Callen and told that William was waiting for him and then he turned and walked away.

"Deeks," Kensi called, running after him, "Let me walk you out."

"No, Kensi, it will be better if Fielding doesn't see you with me," Deeks told her, pulling his arm out of her grasp, and walking quickly away.

...

Deeks was suspended indefinitely, which was better than he had expected, but it was probably just an interim judgment until they officially fired him. He thought he had made a place for himself at NCIS, even feeling it might be better suited to him than the LAPD, until this case came along.

This operation had made him feel totally isolated from the rest of the team, even from Kensi. He felt he was on his own, almost undercover, in a sense, as soon as he had met the boy, and he wasn't sure why. He felt the judgments he had made were the only ones he could have made. It was as if he couldn't stop himself from having the reactions he had to the commander. His past seemed to have determined all of his responses to the boy and to the boy's father, and that bothered him.

With his assignment terminated, he went home and grabbed his surfboard and headed to the beach. He always thought better as he drifted in the calm ocean for a while. It helped him make sense of things. But not today. He finally decided he hadn't accomplished anything and had probably made William's life worse than it had been before he met him.

It was dark when he got back to his apartment. He noticed he had three messages on his phone, but he wasn't interested in seeing who had called. He'd had enough of people telling him how badly he'd screwed up, so when the phone rang again, he let it go to voice mail. His heart jumped when he heard William's terrified voice and he ran across the room to pick it up.

"Marty, you said I could call if I got scared," Will whispered.

"Will," Deeks answered, breathing hard, "what's wrong?"

"A bunch of guys I don't know are in the house," the boy whispered, "they came to my room, but I hid in the secret passageway I showed you. I think they hurt that lady Kensi, my new bodyguard, cause I can see her lying in the hall."

That information scared the hell out of him. It would take some seriously tough people to take Kensi out, and where were Callen and Sam, he wondered.

He spoke as calmly as he could to Will. "Can you sneak out of your room without those guys seeing you?" Deeks asked the boy. When he said that he could, Deeks quickly told him the plan.

"Will, go to the "bat cave" and stay there until someone calls you by your code name. Don't come out unless they use my code name, OK?" Deeks told him in a voice that he hoped sounded calmer than he felt. "I'm coming, buddy."

He was already on the road before he finished his instructions. Then he called Hetty. He told her what William had reported and that he was on his way there. He was afraid she might tell him not to go because he was suspended, not that he would have listened, but instead she told him they were aware of the situation and were in contact with Callen.

"Put in your earwig, Mr. Deeks, and expect a call from Eric," Hetty said crisply, "I am sending a tactical squad as back up. Be careful, Mr. Deeks." she said and hung up.

...

There were very few lights on in the house when he drove by. Parking up the street, he prepped for a firefight, strapping on an extra gun, but realizing he had no vest. As he was moving up the side yard, Eric spoke in his ear.

"Deeks, I've got contact with Callen and Sam, but I can't raise Kensi." he said in his usual competent voice, but it wavered a little when he mentioned Kensi.

"I'll find her, Eric. Where are the others?" Deeks asked as he moved through the shadows checking for sentries.

"Sam and I are out by the guest house," Callen said as he connected with Deeks. "But, we haven't seen Kensi."

"William called me. He told me he saw her lying in the hall outside his room." Deeks answered with a catch in his throat. "I'll find her. Callen, how many men are we dealing with?"

"I'm not positive, but we think there are seven or eight," Callen replied, "They're still in the main house. Fielding is with us, but we haven't seen the boy."

As Deeks rounded the corner of the garage, someone stepped from the shadows, and slammed a rifle butt into his ribs. He grabbed the guy as he fell, rolling over him and slamming his gun into the guy's head. He was out, but Deeks hit him a couple of more times to make sure he wouldn't have to deal with him again. His ribs didn't feel broken, but breathing was painful.

"Callen, one down," Deeks reported, his breathing ragged, "No communication device."

"You OK?" Callen asked.

"I'm good, just some bruised ribs," Deeks answered, "I'm going for Kensi."

He entered the house by a small door William had shown him on his tour. All the lights appeared to be out in this part of the house, so he felt his way to the stairs that led to Will's room and hopefully to Kensi.

He listened for any movement before starting up the stairs. His ribs were really starting to hurt, and he tried not to make any sound as he climbed. When he reached the landing, he looked for Kensi where Will had last seen her, but she wasn't there. He didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad one. He was crawling towards his former room, when he was tackled, rolled over, and kneed in the ribs, knocking the air out of his lungs. He was trying to raise his arms to protect his head, when the attack stopped.

"Deeks?" Kensi whispered.

He didn't have enough breath to answer, but he laid there and smiled up at his partner.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked, lying down next to him and looking into his face.

"Yes," he gasped, barely able to breathe.

Kensi helped him crawl inside Will's room where they sat until air returned to his lungs. His ribs were on fire, and he was pretty sure a couple were now broken. But, Kensi looked to be in worse shape. She was bleeding from a head wound and both her eyes were blackened.

"You look terrible, Kens," Deeks finally manage to say quietly, "Can you see OK?"

"I'm fine, but how did you know what was happening, Deeks? I thought you were suspended." Kensi said. "We didn't even know what was going on until it was almost too late."

"Will called me, and he told me you were hurt," Deeks whispered.

"Deeks, status" Callen's voice suddenly in his ear.

"We're good, Kensi's with me." Deeks answered, "We're coming to you."

...

Just as Kensi and Deeks reached the guesthouse, automatic weapons fire broke out and they were forced to hit the ground. Deeks groaned as his injured ribs smashed into the side of the low brick wall surrounding the patio. Kensi helped him get behind the wall and then started returning fire.

"Thanks, partner," Deeks grunted. Then he turned his head and came face to face with Commander Fielding. He thought he might throw up on the man due to the staggering pain from his ribs, but they were both spared that embarrassment, although Deeks thought he would have enjoyed the look on Fielding's face if he had.

"I thought I gave strict orders that you were to be pulled off this assignment, detective," Fielding growled, "So what are you doing here?"

"He's helping us save your ass, commander," Sam said sharply, "What took you so long, Deeks?"

"I went surfing," Deeks said lightly. "And commander, I could care less about your ass, I came because your son called me."

Now it was Fielding who looked nauseated, and his faced turn dark red with anger.

Deeks moved to find a better vantage point, and to get as far away from Fielding as he could. The patio was on slightly higher ground than the house, which put the team at a slight advantage, but they were definitely outnumbered.

As Eric was informing them that the tactical squad was two minutes out, the assailants attacked, charging their position.

Deeks lay with his back against the wall reloading his weapon, when he suddenly saw Sam go down with a bullet in his leg. As he moved to help him, two attackers came from behind the guesthouse and took aim at Callen's back.

"Callen, your six!" Deeks shouted, then dove between Callen and the shooters, firing as he fell, killing one, but taking a bullet in the shoulder and losing his weapon as he crashed to the ground.

Callen took out the second shooter, as Kensi struggled to drag a semi-conscious Deeks back to the cover of the wall. She noticed Commander Fielding watching her, but he never offered to help. She didn't see him pick up Deeks' gun.

"Sam, you good?" Callen yelled over the gunfire.

"I'm hit, but I can still shoot," Sam replied stoically.

As they continued to fire on the oncoming shooters, the tact squad finally arrived in full force, taking out the remaining assailants from the rear and moving to secure the scene.

"Kensi, how's Deeks?" Callen turned to ask, just as Fielding raised the gun, aimed and fired, hitting Deeks just under his broken ribs. He slipped out of Kensi's arms and crumpled to the ground.

Callen leaped over Deeks and tackled the commander, grabbing the gun, and knocking him out. Then he stood over the man, and visibly shook in disbelief.

"Eric, send an ambulance, now!" Callen shouted, "Fielding just shot Deeks, and Sam is wounded."

"What the hell did Deeks do that made the commander wanted to kill him?" Sam asked Callen with an incredulous look on his face. None of them knew what to say, as Kensi pulled Deeks into her arms and Callen worked to stop the bleeding.

Deeks moaned softly and said "William, you have to get Will."

Callen tried to tell him nobody knew where the boy was, but Deeks shook his head and said, "I do," and told Callen about the "bat cave" where the boy was hiding.

"You have to call him Rango, and use my code name Spider Man, or he won't come out," Deeks said, his voice laced with pain.

"The bat cave, Deeks? You really named it the bat cave?" Callen smirked, "You do know that Spider Man didn't use the bat cave, right?

Deeks smiled weakly and said, "He could have. How would you know, anyway?"

Kensi began to tease Deeks about his Spider Man alias and the familiar banter between the partners seemed to ease the tension that had built up during the operation.

As Callen headed up the hill to find William, he passed the boy's father, who was sitting in handcuffs at the patio table.

"He told me my son hated me," Fielding said harshly, spitting the words out one by one. "He's a liar! You'll see. Bring my son to me and you'll see," his voice rising as he started to stand.

Callen pushed him back into the chair without a word, and continued up the walkway to get his son.

...

The ambulance finally arrived, but Deeks refused to let the paramedics take him until he knew the boy was safe. They told Kensi he needed to go now, because he was going into shock and was losing a lot of blood, but she couldn't persuade him either.

Finally they saw the boy come running down the hill. As he reached the patio he saw his father, and slowed to a walk, then he stopped, unsure what to do. As his father stood up, William noticed that he was handcuffed, and a shocked look formed on his face. He turned to the group gathered by the ambulance and started to ask a question, when he saw Deeks on the gurney.

"Marty, what happened to you?" the boy cried out and started towards him. He stopped abruptly as his father called his name in a commanding voice.

"William, come here right now!" his father demanded. He stood at attention as if he wasn't handcuffed, and waited for his son to obey.

The small boy, with the ruffled brown hair, turned towards his father's commanding presence, seeing the hard look in his father's eyes that was so familiar, and he started to do as he had been taught to do his whole life, obey his father. But then he hesitated, glancing back at Deeks, who made no gesture, just watched him silently along with everyone else, waiting for the small boy's decision.

The look on William's face changed from resignation, as he looked at his father, to one of real concern, as he looked back at Deeks and noticed the blood for the first time. He turned away from his father and ran to Deeks' side. His father yelled for him again but the boy ignored him as he timidly touched Deeks' arm, patting it gently.

"You got shot, Marty." the boy said softly, his eyes wide with worry. "Does it hurt real bad?"

"Yeah, buddy," Deeks answered, with a small smile.

"Why aren't you going to the hospital?" he asked, looking around at all the medical people. They all began to smile, nodding their heads and agreeing with him. The paramedics began to move Deeks into the ambulance, happy to finally have someone agree with them, even if it was a child.

"I wanted to make sure you were OK." Deeks told him. "Did Callen get all the code words right?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't like your name for the 'bat cave'." the boy said seriously.

"Can I ride in the ambulance with you?" Will asked hopefully and the EMTs actually agreed, if it meant they would finally be able to get their patient to the ER.

...

"Has any decision been made about Deeks staying on with us after he recovers?" Callen asked Hetty when he got to the hospital.

"I'm still in discussions with Director Vance on that issue Mr. Callen," Hetty replied, with a questioning look. "Why?"

"Hetty, if Deeks hadn't gotten there when he did, we would probably all be dead, at least I know I would have been." Callen said with an intensity that surprised her.

She knew that it had been a close call for all of them tonight, and Callen had been a little shaken by that. He had lost contact with Kensi during the initial attack, seen his partner wounded, had almost been killed and then had watched the man who had saved him gunned down by the person they were supposed to protect. Not your average case, not by a long shot.

"Deeks didn't have to come at all, Hetty. You'd suspended him, and we had all chewed him out and yet when the boy called he didn't hesitate," Callen continued, "that has to count for something."

"It does, Mr. Callen," Hetty assured him, "it most certainly does."

As they stood talking, Kensi joined them. She was concerned about William, who had fallen asleep on one of the couches in the waiting room.

"What's going to happen to Will," she asked Hetty. "His father's in custody, and his mother's dead. Does he have any other relatives he could stay with?"

They turned to look at the sleeping child whose whole world had been upended, and Hetty wondered how he would manage to survive the trauma.

Then she recalled the first time she had read the background report on Detective Marty Deeks. She had been appalled at what he had endured as a child, not only the physical abuse, but also the psychological abuse as well. His relationship with his father had ended when he was forced to shoot the man to protect himself and his mother from being shot gunned to death. Yet, he had not only managed to survive, but he had emerged with a positive outlook on life, and a desire to help others. If Marty Deeks could survive, then she was optimistic young William Fielding could as well.

"I should have seen this coming," Hetty said, almost to herself. "And, I would have if our intel had been better. We should have dug deeper on Fielding, Mr., Callen, and if we had known what kind of man he was I would not have assigned Mr. Deeks to be William's protector, or put him anywhere near Commander Fielding."

"You think all of this would have been avoided if Deeks hadn't been the boy's bodyguard?" Callen asked in a stunned voice. "Why?"

"Because he identified too closely with William and it muddied the waters, Mr. Callen." Hetty said, "Our assignment was to protect against a possible security breach and we ended up embroiled in a terrible family crisis that almost got Deeks killed."

"Hetty, what intel could have unmasked Fielding as a closet alcoholic and a child abuser?" Callen asked.

"The kind I just discovered," Nell interjected as she joined them. "I think this is all my fault," she continued, "As the analyst on this operation, I should have done a more thorough personal background check on the commander." Nell paused to collect herself and the others could see she was quite upset by her mistake and by what had happened because of it.

"When Deeks asked why we didn't know the commander's wife had died, I started searching for records on her death." Nell reported, her voice back under control. "and I couldn't find any, because she's not dead."

Shocked silence greeted her news.

"My mom's alive?" Will asked softly, with a stunned look on his face.

Nobody had noticed he had quietly come up behind them. Now, they looked into the teary eyes of a child whose world had once again been rocked by a new revelation. Kensi put her arm around him and hugged him to her side as they all turned back to Nell for the details.

"Should I tell everything?" Nell asked Hetty, nodding towards the boy.

"Yes, I think he deserves to know the truth after what he's been through." Hetty replied.

"Commander Fielding and his wife, Laura, had been having marital problems for some time," Nell began, "One night in May of last year, she asked for a divorce. That same night, Commander Fielding kicked her out of the house, and told her if she ever tried to contact or see William, he would send him to a military school outside the country."

"Nell, how do you know all this?" Callen asked.

"Because I tracked her down," Nell answered with a brief smile. "She's living with her sister near Santa Barbara. I spoke with her earlier this evening and after I told her what had happened, she filled me in on her story. She immediately asked where you were Will, and if you were all right. She's on her way here to the hospital to get you."

Will began to cry and Kensi picked him up and carried him back to the couch. Such news would have felled anyone of them, but to an eight-year-old boy it had to be overwhelming, especially after the shocking day he'd already had.

"Can I see Marty?" Will finally asked, looking up at them and wiping his eyes. "I want to tell him about my mom."

"Of course you can Will," Hetty promptly replied, taking his hand. "Let's go find this Spider Man I've been hearing so much about."

...

Deeks was still sleeping when Hetty brought the boy into the recovery room. His wounds were not as serious as they had originally feared, and the doctor had told her he would make a full recovery. The hospital staff did not want to allow the boy into the room to see Deeks, but Hetty made a call to the head administrator and they had no further trouble.

The boy went quickly to the side of the bed and took Deeks' hand.

"Is he gonna be OK?" he asked in a solemn tone.

Hetty assured him that Deeks was going to be just fine, but would be in the hospital for a while, and when the boy nodded, she quietly left the room.

The boy studied Deeks' face for a while and looked closely at his bandage and watched the numbers flash on all the machines Deeks was hooked up to. He worried when he noticed some blood on the bandage, and decided he'd better keep an eye on that. If the spot got any bigger, he would tell one of the nurses.

He thought about the time they had spent together up by the old oak tree that Marty had named the "bat cave". He kind of agreed with Mr. Callen about the name, but if Marty liked it then it was OK with him. He liked his nickname "Rango", though. He had never had a nickname before.

He giggled to himself as he remembered their tickling session, and that made him think of his mom. He was having trouble believing he was actually going to see her tonight, but he was excited in spite of his doubts. He wished Marty would wake up so he could tell him the news.

He wondered if his mom would like Marty. They were both pretty cool, so he thought they would be friends, but what if his mom had changed. Would she be different now, he wondered?

He felt Marty's hand move and then smiled when he saw his eyes open.

"Hey, buddy, how you doin'?" Marty asked softly.

"Great!" the boy said and began to tell his friend the good news.


End file.
